Pediatric Voice Disorders

Voice disorders place over five million school-aged children at increased risk for inferior school performance and dysfunctional social development. The most common pathological cause of pediatric vocal dysfunction is the presence of vocal fold nodules, but there are a variety of other causes of voice disorders in children including vocal cysts and polyps, respiratory papilloma, vocal fold immobility and other lesions of the vocal folds. It is critical for the surgeon to actually visualize and assess any lesions on the child’s vocal cords through endoscopic evaluation before beginning voice therapy treatment.